The Warriors’ injury-shortened rotation was a problem, but it turns out it also was an answer. Stephen Curry’s absence helped unleash Draymond Green’s triple-double streak. The Warriors’ shortage of big men gave Marreese Speights the minutes he needed to reconnect (finally) with Mo Buckets. Harrison Barnes’ extended absence gave Brandon Rush the opportunity to reemerge as an NBA-caliber player. Leandro Barbosa helped the Warriors find another offensive sparkplug, Ian Clark, for their backcourt rotation. Now, as the Warriors gradually return to something resembling a full squad, the Warriors are beginning to see the silver lining to their recent adversity. When Curry checked out of the game Monday in the middle of the first quarter, it wasn’t reason for panic. Instead, it was the start of a 15-2 Warriors run. And when Speights logged extended minutes at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors didn’t shed points off their lead, but expanded it to a game-high 22. The Warriors remain a work in progress, but they are progressing.

Warriors’ opponents continue to give top effort against the champions, and the Hornets were no exception. But the Warriors emerged with a 111-101 victory on Monday thanks to an offense that hummed with renewed efficiency. The 32 assist, 11 turnover performanceshowed how well-rounded the Warriors’ offense can be: 30 points each from Curry and Klay Thompson, but double-digit scoring nights from Green, Rush and Speights as well. Up until the mid fourth-quarter, after the lead had expanded beyond 20 points, the Warriors avoided the scoreless stretches that had plagued the Curry-less line-ups (whether for a game or just a few minutes) throughout the season. Credit for the increased productivity in Curry’s absence should be shared across the roster, but a few players stand out.

Reducing Draymond Green’s recent spectacular play to the statistical “triple-double” tag does it a disservice. The quantity — double digits in three categories — masks that quality of Green’s performances. He’s effortlessly shifting between positions (power forward, point guard, center) and responsibilities (stretching the defense up top, working mismatches in the post, directing traffic from the elbow). He’s adapting his game in real time based on what the Warriors need and the opportunities opponents give him. It’s one thing to have the range of skills to log a triple-double. It’s another to have the awareness and instinct to know when to deploy those skills to maximum effect. Green’s statistical outburst is a testament to the connection he has cultivated with his teammates, andhis ability to sense what they need. Plays like Green’s careening, almost-out-of-control fast-break alley-oop to a streaking Andrew Bogut aren’t luck, they’re the byproduct this group working together for years. Green commented during his post-game interview over the weekend that he learns the routes for all the positions on the Warriors players. The same could be said for the games of his teammates, with Green emergingas the team’s most intuitive floor leader.

When Curry went to the bench with 2 fouls in the middle of the first quarter, Klay Thompson asserted himself in the Warriors’ offense. But rather than just be a scorer, Thompson demonstrated some of the recent growth in his game as well. The Warriors’ launched their 15-2 run after Curry checked out with a Green three (assisted by Andre Iguodala) and a Thompson three (assisted by Green). But with the defense keyed on the Warriors’ perimeter shooters, space opened up in the midrange for Speights, and Thompson found him on consecutive trips down the floor for in-rhythm 18-footers. The Warriors’ run continued the trend from the Denver game of compensating for the lack of Curry’s gravitational pull with even quicker and more purposeful ball movement. If the Warriors without Curry aren’t able to displace defenses to the same degree as with him, they just have to work harder to take advantage of whatever disorder they can create. Thompson’s use of his own gravitational pull to help create opportunities for Speights is a perfect example of how the Warriors’ ball-movement offense doesn’t need to grind to a halt when Curry (and Green) take a seat on the bench. Since both Walton and Kerr favor Thompson as a starter to stick with the reserve unit, unselfish and aware play like this becomes central to tapping the potential at the end of the Warriors’ rotation.

While I don’t need much of an excuse to celebrate the personification of heat-check joy that is Marreese Speights, his recent return to Mo Buckets form (or at least his recent ability to hit two jump shots in a row) is a welcome and significant development for the Warriors. Last year, when the team was executing at its highest level, it was the second unit that was turning leads into blowouts, breaking the wills of opponents who thought they might be able to gain ground after withstanding the surge from Curry and the starters. Speights was a key part of making sure that the Warriors’ offensive barrage continued with the second unit. This season, the same second unit had been a liability for Walton, forcing him to play chicken with the reentry point for his starters in the second and fourth quarters. Speights’ prior lack of productivity was a big reason why. Hopefully the confidence Speights gained in the overtime win against Denver and his 17 productive minutes against Charlotte (15 points on 7-10 shooting) can help him(and the rest of second unit) return to old form.

While the Warriors continue to fade in and out of defensive focus — a forgivable sin given the middling quality of recent opponents and the mid-January doldrums of the season — the Warriors’ ball-movement offense is becoming more consistent. Clark, Rush and Livingston have all shown recently that they can help sustain the offense while the starters are out. The return of Harrison Barnes, who looked sharp in his 20 minutes, alsogives the Warriors another scorer to mix into the rotation. The Warriors won’t be lucky enough to have Curry and Thompson combine for 60 points every night. But if they continue to move the ball like they did against Charlotte, they’ll have plenty of other scorers ready to contribute.